By Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis said that the Catholic Church must consider various ways to integrate the divorced and civilly remarried in the life of the Church – not merely allowing them to receive Communion, but letting them serve as eucharistic ministers and godparents – and to make it easier for […]
International News
Pope: Advent Is a Time For Silence and Service
ROME (CNS) – In the heart of Rome’s high-end shopping district, sparkling with Christmas lights and shiny baubles in the windows of famous designers, Pope Francis prayed that people would spend time in silence and in service as they prepare to celebrate Jesus’ birth. Celebrating the feast of the Immaculate Conception Dec. 8, Pope Francis […]
Tradition at Spanish Steps
An image of Mary is adorned with flowers at the foot of a tall Marian statue overlooking the Spanish Steps in Rome Dec. 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Rome’s firefighters have observed the tradition every year since 1857.
Bishops Receive Questions for Synod
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – To help set the agenda for the 2015 Synod of Bishops on the family, the Vatican is sending the world’s Catholic bishops’ conferences a list of questions on a range of topics, including matters of marriage and sexuality that proved especially controversial at the 2014 family synod. Together with the final […]
Vatican Report on US Women Religious Life Due This Week
By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The final report of a five-year, Vatican-ordered study of communities of women religious in the U.S. will be released by the Vatican Dec. 16. The top two officials of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and three leaders of women’s congregations were […]
Saintly Celebration at Greenpoint Parish
Ornate Indian parasols decorated the exterior of St. Anthony-St. Alphonsus Church in Greenpoint, where hundreds of Indian Catholics rejoiced over their newest saint. Devotees from Brooklyn and Queens as well as New Jersey, Connecticut and Philadelphia attended a Sunday afternoon Mass of thanksgiving on Dec. 7 to celebrate the canonization of St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara. […]
Pope Says End of World Will Not Be a Time of Destruction
Believing in eternity and in the final establishment of the kingdom of God, Christians throughout history – starting with the disciples – were filled with questions such as when the end will come and what will happen to the created world, Pope Francis said.
In Turkey, Pope Visits ‘Invisible’ Christians
Ankara and Istanbul were gray and cold, at least compared to Rome, during Pope Francis’ Nov. 28-30 visit to Turkey. And the general reception, outside of the pope’s official meetings, was hardly warmer.
Changing Times Mean Change in Religious Life
By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Religious orders and the Vatican congregation that assists them must be bold in assessing whether current structures and practices help or hinder the proclamation of the Gospel, the pursuit of holiness and the service of the poor, Pope Francis said. “We must not be afraid to leave ‘old […]
Trust Underlies World Economy, says Jesuit Priest
VILLANOVA, Pa. (CNS) — Economic activity depends on a foundation of trust that can’t be compromised without creating harmful consequences for all parties, said Jesuit Father Drew Christiansen, distinguished professor of ethics and global development at Georgetown University. Reflecting on the global financial crisis of 2006-2010 and the Church’s efforts to “promote the common good […]